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Recently, according to CCTV's "Focus Interview," there's been a surge in the market for "blind boxes," including a new trend of "express blind boxes," where sellers claim these contain genuine items from undelivered express packages, despite recent media exposure.

Zhao Zhanling, a lawyer at JAVY Law Firm, discussed this phenomenon with Daily Economic News.

What are "express blind boxes"? Most "express blind boxes" in the market consist of returned goods or items held up during transit, packaged and resold in bulk, often under claims of assured profitability. In reality, this practice is illegal but has persisted as a longstanding issue in the express delivery sector. As early as 2020, several media reports warned consumers to beware of being misled by "express blind boxes," expressing concerns over potential leaks of personal recipient information.

Searching for "express blind boxes" on certain e-commerce platforms still yields numerous sellers offering them for purchase. While these sellers may not explicitly label their goods as "express blind boxes," descriptions and images often strongly suggest otherwise, with assurances of international origin and randomness in shipment.

Zhao Zhanling highlighted that the existence of "express blind boxes" directly correlates with inadequate internal processes for handling returned items within express delivery companies. Selling these boxes constitutes direct violation of the "Provisional Regulations on Express Delivery," not only breaching legal provisions but also infringing upon individuals' property and privacy rights.

"The legality of 'express blind box' sales is unequivocally prohibited by relevant regulations," Zhao emphasized.

The National Market Supervision Administration's "Guidelines on the Operation of Blind Box Activities" expressly forbids the sale of undeliverable and unreturnable express items in blind box format. Similarly, according to the State Council's "Provisional Regulations on Express Delivery," any unauthorized opening, hiding, destruction, or resale of others' express items, if not constituting a crime, results in public security penalties. Companies engaged in express delivery face fines starting from 100,000 to 200,000 RMB for serious violations, with potential suspension or revocation of their business licenses.

Zhao pointed out that the key lies in strict enforcement of existing laws. Express companies must improve internal management processes and oversight to curb unlawful practices. Regulatory authorities should proactively inspect and monitor compliance rather than passively responding to complaints and reports.